


For Your Sake

by bickazer



Series: Interstellar Empire [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien Sex, Aliens, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Camaraderie, Dom/sub Undertones, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Hand Jobs, Hermaphrodites, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Interstellar Empire, M/M, Military, Mpreg, Porn with Feelings, Pregnant Sex, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Soldiers, Space Opera, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:01:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bickazer/pseuds/bickazer
Summary: In the aftermath of a war, Leyhas defects to the enemy's side. While some may be suspicious of his motives, he knows his lover Alan Shard will always stand with him.





	For Your Sake

**Author's Note:**

> Another piece in my original Interstellar Empire setting. This one is pretty much a PWP and an opportunity to indulge in some depraved alien smut. I didn't expect it to turn out quite as romantic as did, though.
> 
> More backstory on Commodore Deathkey can be found in What the Sky Gives, What the Sky Takes Away.

The door chimed. Commodore Skylar Deathkey put down the pad he'd been examining and declared, "Enter."

  
He sat upright with his hands loosely clasped, trying to project the same calm authority he did whenever meeting with one of his subordinates. _This is nothing special_, Deathkey reminded himself. _You're just introducing yourself to somebody new. Happens every day._

  
So he could tell himself, but that didn't change the fact that today he was greeting anyone but another soldier of his.

  
With a faint hiss, the door slid open. Deathkey sat straighter, hoping he didn't look too stiff. Nonetheless, it was hard not to tense when a familiar sound drifted inside, a subtle clicking creak that made him think of skittering insect legs.

  
That sound had always haunted his worst memories. Chaos on the battlefield, billowing smoke, the chemical burn of blaster fire. Or even earlier, those childhood years spent imprisoned in the dark....

  
The clicking grew louder. A tall, slender figure stepped inside.

  
It was all Deathkey could do not to reach for his blaster - safetly nestled against his hip, of course. Still, he struggled against years' worth of instincts that had taught him to view faceless, black-armored creatures as enemies. Shoot first, ask questions later.

  
And he'd been all too happy to, picturing Marshal Marnok's insidious smirk behind each Kwithinite's mask. But now the war was over, and that was why his guest had come today.

  
Even so, Deathkey watched the Kwithinite like a hawk as he approached the desk, alert for any sudden moves. Aside from the click of his armor, he made no noise. His movements were so light and graceful it was almost like he was gliding, which made Deathkey suspect he was a _kirasai_. One thing to set him apart from the hated Marshal.

  
Surprise lanced through Deathkey when the Kwithinite stopped before the desk and his mask split in two down the middle. The plates slid aside, revealing a face so astonishingly beautiful that even Deathkey's breath caught; if it weren't for the azure hue of his skin and the feathery markings surrounding his large, almond-shaped eyes he could have been a model in an Imperial fashion magazine.

  
As the mask retreated, his hair unfurled in shimmering drifts down his back. Some facetious part of Deathkey wondered how he managed to fit all that beneath the armor; the Kwithinites he'd known had all kept their hair short.

  
But Deathkey wasn't here just to gawk, he reminded himself. And though seeing the Kwithinite's face had come as a surprise, it didn't startle him nearly as much as what the Kwithinite did next: he bowed his head, pressed his left fist to his chest, crossed his right leg leg in front of the other. A _kirasai's_ tribute to his commander.

  
A hot jolt of embarrassment ran through Deathkey. Without thinking, he stood up. "There's really no need for that. I'm not your commander."

  
"But you are Shard's." The Kwithinite's voice was as deceptively soft as the rest of him.

  
"I suppose...." Deathkey swallowed, cleared his throat. Damn it, he had to take control of the situation. "So. Subcommandant Leyhas, is it? I've heard quite a bit about you."

  
"Likewise, Commodore Deathkey," Leyhas said. He spoke Imperial Standard a little hesitantly, with a slight accent, but otherwise seemed fluent. "Shard has nothing but admiration towards you."

  
"Is that so? He's a good man, Captain Shard," Deathkey said with genuine warmth. Indeed, if he hadn't trusted Alan Shard as much as he did, he wouldn't be hosting a Kwithinite in his office today.

  
"He is indeed," Leyhas said quietly. Though his head was down, Deathkey didn't miss the slight upward twitch to his lips. Strangely enough, it put Deathkey at ease.

  
Leyhas spoke of Shard with such fondness, the same way Shard had spoken of him. _I know it sounds unbelievable, sir. But just trust me. I know Leyhas is sincere. _

  
Deathkey couldn't say he understood that feeling, or if he even wanted to, but he at least recognized the strength behind it. Thus, it only seemed fair to hear Leyhas out.

  
"I thank you for agreeing to speak with me," Leyhas said. "I know you must have every reason to be suspicious."

  
"I'm not," Deathkey said. "Captain Shard vouched for you, after all."

  
Leyhas flicked his gaze upward, his purple eyes wide, before hastily lowering his head again. He was still adopting the stiff tribute posture, Deathkey noticed.

  
"It's okay," he said, surprising himself with how warm his voice came out. "You can look me in the eye. At ease, soldier."

  
He said the last bit in Keiniris. The words burned his tongue and seized his throat as they came out, as if they were made of poison, and it took all his effort to suppress a shudder. Damn it, every time - even though he'd frequently had to put his knowledge of the language to use during the war, he still couldn't help but fear that deep down, if he spoke the uncomfortably familiar syllables too often, everything that he had tried so hard to escape would swallow him alive once more.

  
But he did it for Leyhas' benefit, and it worked; the Kwithinite snapped his head up, amazement shining in those large eyes of his. He had very honest expressions, an idle part of Deathkey mused; the sort whose face hid nothing at all. Then again, it wasn't as if Kwithinites needed to practice keeping their expressions stoic, though Marnok had always been infuriatingly difficult to read....

  
"Of course. Thank you, sir." Leyhas' voice snapped Deathkey out of his irrelevant ponderings. He had answered in Keiniris, and it startled Deathkey how smooth he made the language's harsh syllables sound; he certainly spoke it with much more confidence than Imperial Standard.

  
Nonetheless, Deathkey chose to switch back. After all, he was here as the_ Imperial Grandeur's_ commanding officer. "So, I just want to make sure I have all the facts. You want to defect the side of the Empire?"

  
Leyhas stiffened a little. His eyes shifted as if he wanted to look down again, but he forced himself to maintain eye contact with Deathkey. "I would not...exactly...put it that way. I am loyal to Keiniris and I shall be until the day I die."

  
"Hm." Deathkey lifted his chin. "Yet you've come to the _Grandeur_, seeking sanctuary with Captain Shard."

  
"I believed that I was carrying out the will of Keiniris as a member of Vien Zakhal. But I was mistaken. Keiniris has already made its peace with your people. To continue to fight is folly."

  
"Yet up until a few weeks ago, you were Vien Zakhal's second-in-command. So what's changed?" Deathkey kept his tone pleasant, but firm. Shard and the report had already given him some idea, but he wanted to hear the reasons from the man himself.

  
Leyhas breathed out. As if unconsciously, his hands moved, coming to rest on his lower abdomen. A deep blue color rose in his cheeks - a blush. "It is...it is for the sake of this child."

  
"Ah, that's what I heard," Deathkey said. "Shard said you were carrying Commandant Vexral's child."

  
"Correct. He is my mate, so...."

  
Just a few weeks ago, Deathkey could have never imagined having such a conversation with Subcommandant Leyhas. He'd have more likely been firing at the man's wardagger in a dogfight around the rings of Patahu-IV. After all, he was only one of the highest-ranked operatives of Vien Zakhal, the most powerful and persistent of the Kwithinite rebel groups that continued to resist the peace. More than a year had passed since the official truce, and still Deathkey and the _Grandeur_ had their hands full battling these rebels as if the war had never ended at all.

  
So it had come as a massive surprise, to put it mildly, when Captain Shard had returned from a mission with Leyhas in tow and a most unusual message for the command. A few days had passed since then, after which Leyhas had finally been cleared by security for a private audience with Deathkey.

  
Deathkey had heard that Shard wanted to be here too, but he'd insisted on this being one-to-one. He wanted to make sure Leyhas was sincere in his sentiments, and there were perhaps things that could only be discussed between the two of them. Such as this talk about mates.

  
"But you chose to betray him. That's certainly a big decision," Deathkey said, calm as ever but carefully gauging the Kwithinite's reactions. He didn't only mean that it was difficult on the level of choosing to reject an organization one belonged to; he also knew that the bonds between mates ran deep, beyond emotions and into biology. Especially if a pregnancy was involved.

  
And truthfully, he still wasn't a hundred percent clear where Shard fit in with this. He knew Shard and Leyhas had a history, that they'd been personal archnemeses dating back to the actual war, but it clearly ran deeper than just a relationship of worthy adversaries. Deathkey had already gotten some vague hint from the way the two talked about each other.

  
"It is for the sake of this child, as I said," Leyhas said again. He still hadn't removed his hands from his stomach.

  
"Pardon, but I'm not entirely sure I follow. That child is yours and Vexral's, so - "

  
"To the Commandant, this child will only be another soldier to fight and die for the cause." For the first time, a bitter note hardened Leyhas' voice. "I understood, or I thought I did. That was the reason I became his. But now, thinking about it...I realized I did not want that kind of life for this child. I looked around me, the soldiers fighting pointlessly in a war we had already lost. Dying young, dying for nothing. And I thought that this child deserved better."

  
He looked Deathkey in the eye then, fierce and unhappy, his mouth set in a thin line of resolve. A hot wave of admiration surged through Deathkey, taking him quite by surprise. Leyhas might have been a Kwithinite, and one that had given him a great share of trouble in the past, but now his resolve burned as brilliantly as that of any of the finest soldiers Deathkey had ever known.

  
It shouldn't have surprised him so much. After all, Alan Shard must have come to trust Leyhas for a reason.

  
"I can't say I understand it myself," Deathkey said, putting on a genuine smile, "but I do know that parents everywhere, whatever their species, want the best for their children. To give them a better life. So for that reason, you'll be willing to turn your back on Vien Zakhal?"

  
"I would," Leyhas said with no doubt, no hesitation whatsoever.

  
"Even after everything you've given to them? All the fighting you've done, all the effort you've put in? You would throw it all aside and join your mortal enemies for the sake of your child?"

  
Deathkey walked around the desk, moving so nothing was blocking him from Leyhas. To his satisfaction, Leyhas didn't back away or react aggressively, just continued gazing at him with that fierce resolve.

  
"I am not joining my mortal enemies. I am loyal to Keiniris to the death, as I said."

  
"Hm." Deathkey lifted his chin. "You understand we'll want more than simply your loyalty? You were second-in-command of Vien Zakhal. You have valuable information to offer, information that could help us turn the tide of this conflict. Would you willingly give it to us, even knowing it might doom your former comrades?"

  
It took Leyhas a moment to answer; Deathkey could see a muscle working in his jaw. Though Deathkey kept his stance loose and relaxed, he took care to rest his hand on his hip, right above his holster. Just in case....

  
At last, Leyhas said in a whisper so low Deathkey had to strain to hear it, "I am not doing it for your sake. It is for Shard's."

  
"You trust him that much, huh." Deathkey hadn't intended to say it, but he'd been caught off guard.

  
"He said...." Leyhas swallowed, then pressed down on his stomach. "He would be...my 'family.' That this child...is his as well."

  
"Huh!" Of all things, Deathkey had never expected to hear that. He'd faced plenty of surprises so far, but none quite as big as this. _I really am going to have to question Captain Shard_, one part of him thought, while another part remonstrated, _He kept it private for a reason, and it's not like romance is something you make a business of understanding._

  
"Do you...disapprove?" Leyhas' voice came soft, hesitant. "I am aware...that we are your enemies. Your people will not easily accept this...that's what I told him. But he said he did not care."

  
Deathkey exhaled, loosening the remaining tension gripping his body. His hand dropped from his hip. "That sounds like Captain Shard, all right."

  
"Because Shard said he would stay with me...that's why I am willing to do this. That's why I will not hesitate, or doubt my decision. Make whatever judgment you will, Commodore Deathkey. My resolve will not change."

  
He bowed his head, his hair cascading over his shoulders. _I really don't understand,_ Deathkey thought in awe, but unbidden he found himself thinking about Admiral Rezyon. Her promise to do anything for him, and his promise in turn after he'd extracted her body from the blasted-out remnants of her fighter jet. He was thinking of his soldiers before their final strike against the Kwithinites, stacking their hands atop each other as they swore to come back alive. Of the young Emperor's smile as he said he was glad he could always depend on Deathkey.

  
When Deathkey said he was fighting for the Empire, he was really thinking about all of them. Loyalty to a cause ultimately stemmed from loyalty to people, didn't it?

  
And he could see just how true, how strong, Leyhas' loyalty to Shard was.

  
"All right." Making his decision, Deathkey stepped forward and placed his hand on Leyhas' shoulder. As his fingers curled around the smooth, slightly whorled armor, it took all his self-control not to jerk his arm away. It wasn't his first time touching Kwithinite armor, hardly, but usually it happened in the middle of intense hand-to-hand combat. Not like this, gentle as he would be with a human friend.

  
The last time he'd touched armor like this, his hand had been much smaller, and the Kwithinite much taller....

  
Setting his jaw, Deathkey forced back the thoughts. Aside from species, Subcommandant Leyhas shared nothing in common with Marshal Marnok. Deathkey saw that more than clearly now.

  
Leyhas blinked, looking alarmed, but he didn't shake off Deathkey's touch. "Commodore Deathkey," he said quietly.

I believe you, soldier," Deathkey said, relieved by how easily his smile came. "Give us all the information we need to rout Vien Zakhal, and we'll give you the shelter you and your child deserve. And of course, Captain Shard will always be there to help you."

  
"Ah." Leyhas' eyes widened, making him look painfully young. Indeed, as a _kirasai_, he couldn't be that old in the first place. "Thank - thank you, Commodore Deathkey. That is all I can ask for."

  
He ducked his head, seemingly meaning to bow again, but Deathkey stopped him by squeezing his shoulder. By now, he felt no revulsion from the gesture. "It's all right. Like I told you, I'm not your commander. And understand that it's not over yet; we'll have to clear this with my superiors, and with the Emperor as well. But I promise, I'll vouch for your sincerity."

  
With that, he winked. Leyhas nodded, solemn as ever. In that respect, he was rather unlike the playful Shard, but perhaps that was why they got along so well. Not that Deathkey would know, but truthfully, he didn't need to. As long as the two of them made each other happy, it was enough. Even Deathkey could see that.

  
Deathkey patted Leyhas on the shoulder, then let go and stepped back. "Well, you're free to go now. I'm sure Shard's worried sick about you."

  
"I told him not to," sighed Leyhas, "but you are right, he probably is."

  
His long-suffering tone made Deathkey quirk a smile, and with a little jolt, he realized he liked Leyhas. He reminded Deathkey somewhat of his own first officer, Captain Loons, just as dead serious and devoted to his mission. A good soldier, the kind that was all too rare among both sides of the war.

  
Perhaps if there were more like him, this war would have been over long ago. But it wasn't too late, Deathkey reminded himself. With Subcommandant Leyhas' help, they might be able to bring an end to this latest chapter of the conflict between the Empire and Kwithinites.

* * *

When the door to the Commodore's office hissed open, Captain Alan Shard quickly jumped to attention. Even when someone who most decidedly was not the Commodore stepped out, Shard did not relax.

  
Though his face was hidden by the armor, Shard had the distinct sense Leyhas was glaring at him. Sometimes he wished he weren't so good at reading the Kwithinite's moods.

  
"What are you doing here?" Leyhas demanded.

  
"Hello to you too." Shard linked his hands behind his head, trying to play at casual. "I see you survived your encounter with the Commodore all right."

  
"Were you worried for me?" Leyhas said it like an accusation, making Shard wince a little "I told you already, there is no need."

  
"I mean, the Commodore seems nice, but he can be...intense. Especially when it comes to Kwithinites," Shard said as he fell in step with Leyhas. It seemed Leyhas wasn't wasting any time getting back to their quarters.

  
Their quarters. Just the thought made something pleasantly warm squirm inside Shard's chest. How silly and juvenile of him, but he couldn't help it. Just a few months ago, he'd have never thought he and Leyhas would have anything close to a happy ending - he was sure it'd end with one or both of them dead at the other's hand. The curse of being on opposite sides, even though the war that had brought them together had long ended.

  
Now he was sharing quarters with Leyhas aboard the _Grandeur_, about to start a little family of their own. Shard could have scarcely envisioned such domestic bliss.

  
Hell, go back just three years and he'd have most likely called his present self off his rocker and decked him in the face for good measure if he'd told the truth about where he'd be in the future. Falling in love with that pesky Kwithinite commander who kept harrassing his squadron? Sounded more like a bad dream than anything else.

  
But, well, a lot had happened since then.

  
"He was not hostile." Leyhas' voice snapped Shard back to reality. Right, they'd been discussing the Commodore. "Rather, he was....I can understand why you follow him. For a human, he has a strong..._kalhnas_."

  
Leyhas had explained that word to him before, how it meant something like a commanding presence, and it was one of the most valued traits in Kwithinite society. Those whose _kalhnas_ was weaker submitted to those who were stronger. For Leyhas to grace an Imperial with that word must mean he found Deathkey truly impressive.

  
Shard couldn't blame him. Even he sometimes got tongue-tied and awkward in Commodore Skylar Deathkey's presence. Hard not to when he was only the youngest flag officer ever in the Imperial Navy and hero of the Kwithinite War. Not to mention blessed with roguish good looks and that mane of striking silver hair. Like a lot of the _Grandeur_ crew, Shard had long nursed an embarrassed secret crush on the Commodore.

  
Well, until he'd met Leyhas anyway.

  
"He's a good man," Shard said. "I knew he'd hear you out."

  
"Then you had no need to worry," Leyhas sniffed, lifting his chin.

  
Shard grinned at this display of classic Leyhas attitude. If he weren't out in the ship's corridors, he'd have taken Leyhas' hand or patted his face or tried to tease him somehow. But he was conscious of the soldiers who passed, some of whom weren't making much of an effort to hide the suspicious glances they darted at the armored Kwithinite walking in their midst.

  
Understandable, but that didn't make Shard any less eager to leave it all behind and get back to his quarters. Anyway, he should be happy that he got to walk alone with Leyhas in the first place. It'd taken a lot of persistence and delicate finagling to finally shake the guard detail that had insisted on accompanying Leyhas ever since his defection.

  
More than anything, Shard knew he did not want Leyhas to feel like a prisoner here. Not after he'd already sacrificed so much.

  
A few transporter trips carried them away from the administrative decks down to the living quarters. Shard would have liked to take the monorail, but he figured Leyhas would attract even more attention as a passenger, so he opted to stroll along the floating walkway girding the cavernous corridor. It'd take longer, but that was the price to pay for serving aboard a ship the size of a small city.

  
Leyhas didn't speak again until they reached the quarters. Shard didn't mind; he was used to the Kwithinite's reticence, and besides they'd figured early on that Leyhas attracted even more stares if he was talking than if he remained silent. Some Imperials, even soldiers on the flagship, were surprised to learn their mysterious old enemies were indeed capable of speaking.

  
As soon as the door slid shut, Leyhas retracted his mask. Shard tried not to stare too obviously, but he had to admit to taking a secret thrill every time this happened. Very few Imperials had ever seen a Kwithinite's face, after all, and while his first look under the mask had come by accident, every time afterward was a deliberate decision of Leyhas'. A sign of just how much he trusted Shard.

  
Not to mention Shard just liked looking at Leyhas' face. Who could blame him? It was hard to believe that spiky black armor hid such lovely, delicate features. To say nothing of those waves of hair pouring down his back like a sparkling waterfall, changing color depending on how they caught the light. Right now, they flashed in the dimness like cold blue lightning.

  
Leyhas cast Shard a sidelong glance, a familiar frown turning down his lips. "You're staring again."

  
"Ah." Shard jumped, rubbing the back of his head. In contrast to Leyhas' luscious locks, he kept his hair neat and short, shaved close to his head. "Sorry about that."

  
"I wish you actually meant it." Leyhas gave a slight snort and shook his head, making his hair swing in a most appealing fashion. "You fool."

  
"I can't help it, you're just too beautiful." Shard reached out, brushing the side of Leyhas' face, and was rewarded by the dark blue blush that spread across his cheeks. The skin felt cool and smooth beneath his callused palm. "So how are you feeling?'

  
"I'm fine. You don't have to always ask." Though his words were terse, he shuffled a little closer to Shard. His scent wafted between them, sharp and curiously metallic. Not the most pleasant smell, but it comforted Shard anyway, because he'd long come to associate it with these small, private moments he managed to snatch with Leyhas.

  
Now, it wouldn't just be a few moments. He wouldn't have to hope to match weapons with Leyhas on the battlefield, or to "accidentally" chance upon his downed wardagger. Now, whenever he wanted, the two of them -

  
Something warm and painful swelled inside Shard, pushing against his skin as if he might burst. He couldn't take it much longer. Without thinking, he tightened his grip on Leyhas' face and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

  
Leyhas stiffened, but only for a moment. His lips parted and Shard plunged eagerly into his mouth. In contrast to his cool skin, his tongue burned so hot it almost wiped Shard's mind blank. He pushed hard against Leyhas, wanting to explore inch of that sweet mouth, wanting to drown himself in his lover's heat and taste.

  
But then Leyhas pushed at his chest with surprising strength, sending him stumbling back. Shard gasped as he broke from the kiss. "Hey, what's - "

  
"Honestly," Leyhas said, wiping his mouth. His entire face had flooded dark blue. "Why are you so eager?"

  
"Aren't you too?" Shard put on his most winsome grin, not that it'd do him much good. "But really, I'm glad you're doing okay. How about junior?"

  
Leyhas darted a glance down to his stomach before scowling. "That is not his name."

  
"Well, he's gonna need a name sometime soon," Shard said.

  
"Typically...it is the _nurasai_ who names the child." Leyhas spoke in a mumble, as if ashamed, and wouldn't meet Shard's gaze.

  
"Oh. So did Vexral...," Shard began, feeling awkward.

  
Leyhas shook his head fiercely. "He had not yet. I think he wished for the formal ceremony, with a diviner overseeing."

  
"Ah." Shard's stomach flipped. "Sorry that won't be possible...."

  
"I don't need a ceremony." Leyhas spoke with startling vehemence. "I will name my child myself. You...you can help, of course."

  
He turned away, shy again, and it made a familiar painful affection rise inside Shard. "You sure? I don't know any Kwithinite, uh, Keiniris, names."

  
"I...wouldn't mind a human name, if it came from you...as long as it is not 'junior.'"

  
Shard couldn't help but bark a laugh. One of the first things he'd come to love about Leyhas was his dry sense of humor.

  
"Of course, I have the final say." When Leyhas' still-armored hand brushed Shard's face, Shard jerked in surprise. This seemed to embolden Leyhas, for he gripped Shard's nape tight and pulled him in for another kiss.

  
Shard let his eyes fall shut, losing himself in the warmth and softness of Leyhas' mouth, but he didn't miss how Leyhas was pulling him steadily backward, or how the armor plates pressed against his chest had begun to retract with skittering and clacking sounds. Even through his shirt, Shard felt as more of Leyhas' sinfully smooth skin became exposed, and it made his heart thump madly against his ribcage.

  
Leyhas suddenly stopped walking, only to yank Shard down with him. Shard yelped in surprise as he spilled onto the bed, straddling Leyhas. When he lifted his head, his heart gave a jolt. No matter how often it happened, he could never get used to the sight of Leyhas naked, or as naked as a Kwithinite could become; by now, his armor had retracted to a few strategic patches around his joints, throat, and hips, revealing his lithe and toned body. As Shard swept his gaze over the pale markings swirling across the blue skin, the faded scars that spoke of hundreds of past battles, he became aware of the increasing tightness beneath his pants.

  
Leyhas tossed his head, smirking. Seeing him like this, his purple eyes shining with mirth and his hair spread in a gleaming flood across the sheets, only made Shard harder.

  
But he wasn't going to give in just yet. Grinning, he reached out and ran his hand down Leyhas' chest, feeling the muscles shift beneath his touch. Leyhas gasped, the color deepening in his face.

  
"Who's eager now?" Shard teased.

"Don't be absurd," Leyhas grumbled, averting his gaze - only to arch his back and gasp when Shard paused to tweak a stiff blue nipple.

  
His nipples seemed to only have become more sensitive since his pregnancy, and Shard would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate it. He tugged on both nipples several more times, driving forth steadily higher cries and gasps from Leyhas.

  
"Mmn, Shard, enough - oh!" when Shard bent down and replaced his hand with his mouth.

  
He sucked around the base of the swollen bud, caressing it with his tongue while his bristly beard scratched Leyhas' skin. Damnation, he could have enjoyed himself doing this forever, but Leyhas was squirming ever harder beneath him and there was that pesky problem pushing against his trousers....

  
"Shard, wait!" Leyhas' hands linked around the back of Shard's neck, then shoved upward. Shard gasped as he was forced to release Leyhas' nipple, saliva still dripping from his lips. The next thing he knew, Leyhas yanked him into yet another kiss, hungry and greedy and clumsy, while he rolled up the hem of Shard's shirt. His cool fingers danced like raindrops across Shard's burning, sweat-slicked skin, making him moan into Leyhas' mouth.

  
Then his hand found the front of Shard's pants and he yanked open the magnetic strip of his fly. Shard let out a gurgled curse when Leyhas freed his almost fully erect cock.

Resting in the palm of Leyhas' slender palm, it looked obscenely huge. Thick and throbbing and bulging with veins, the dark brown skin already flooded a rich red. The gentle pressure of Leyhas' touch only made him harder.

  
But not nearly as hard as Leyhas' gaze, fixated on his dick as if nothing else existed in the world. His cock twitched and heat bloomed in his face.

  
Leyhas let out a soft little chuckle, so quiet Shard almost missed it - but he didn't, and it made his heart leap.

  
He remembered how amazed he'd been the first time he'd heard Leyhas laugh; up until that point, he hadn't thought the serious Kwithinite even capable of it. Perhaps it was then, realizing that Leyhas trusted him enough to relax like that around him, that he had begun to fall in love....

  
And then there was no use thinking about any of this, because Leyhas gave his cock a tremendous tug. Bolts of lightning shot through Shard's entire body, and he wished the sound he let out didn't sound quite so much like a sob.

  
But still, there was nothing quite like Leyhas' expert touch - and he was using both hands now, rolling the shaft around between his palms, stroking the head with delicate fingertips. Never once did his attention waver, and it just made Shard shudder and twitch harder.

  
When his cock started dribbling precum, staining Leyhas' fingertips, Leyhas suddenly let go. Before he could stop himself, Shard emitted a whined protest.

  
"Now, now." Smirking, Leyhas danced his fingertips down his toned stomach, stopping right above the armor piece covering his crotch. As Shard watched, the armor split and retracted, leaving behind only two narrow pieces lining the dip of his hipbones.

  
And giving Shard an unobstructed view of his penis, slowly rising and coloring dark blue as it was freed from the armor. It was somewhat smaller than Shard's own, but still an appreciable size. Licking his lips, Leyhas lifted his hips higher, revealing the narrow vertical slit beneath his testes and the small round pucker below it. Both the slit and hole had fluttered open slightly and were dripping with slick, clear fluid.

  
Thoughtlessly, Shard reached out and brushed his fingertips across the slit. It opened further, more liquid dripping out, and Leyhas let out a sharp gasp. The first times they'd slept together, it had remained closed and dry as if it hadn't existed at all; Leyhas had explained it only started functioning when his chosen _nurasai_ mate forced it open during the claiming ceremony.

  
It wasn't quite the same as a woman's pussy - there was no labia, just the rather unobstrusive slit - but Shard enjoyed playing with it anyhow. He brushed his knuckles over it, feeling the skin give way beneath his touch, then prodded with his fingertips again. His nails dipped inside, brushing shockingly wet and warm walls, and Leyhas arched his back and cried out, thin and broken.

  
"Sh-Shard, enough, I w-want, I want you - "

  
Feeling slightly guilty, Shard removed his hand. It was thoroughly slick with Leyhas' sweet-smelling fluids, and more leaked out of the slit with every passing second. "Sorry, I shouldn't...."

  
Leyhas stared at Shard with glazed eyes. "I want you in here."

  
"You don't mean that," Shard said gently. "I can't."

  
"I know...." Leyhas bit his lip and turned his head to the side. "Why did he have to be the one to claim me? If - if only it were you - "

  
Each of Leyhas' soft, plaintive words dug another hook into Shard's heart. Without thinking, he bent down to press Leyhas into a gentle kiss. Leyhas sighed into his mouth; his warm breath tickled appealingly.

  
"It probably wouldn't be possible in the first place," Shard said when he drew away, keeping his voice kind. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

  
Leyhas nodded mutely. This was far from the first time they'd had this conversation, but each time seeing how vulnerable Leyhas became made Shard feel deeply uncomfortable. It touched him to know just how much Leyhas desired him, but he knew he could never give the Kwithinite what he wanted, needed, the most.

  
It was cruel, he thought, how the claiming between a _nurasai_ and _kirasai_ changed the _kirasai's_ body fundamentally. The slit opened, but it would only accept one source of seed. Any others would suffer severe acidic burns. When Shard had first heard this, he'd insisted on trying it out anyway - who knew, maybe it'd be different for a human - but Leyhas' vehemence had frightened that idea right out of him.

  
It didn't matter, Shard told himself. He didn't have to claim Leyhas' body like a _nurasai_. He already had something far more important.

  
"It's okay," he said again, brushing aside a stray lock of hair from Leyhas' eyes. "Besides, I'm more than happy to fill you up here."

  
With a grin, he slid his hand downward until his fingertip rested on the twitching, dripping wet hole. Leyhas gasped, his entire body convulsing, and Shard's grin widened when he felt the hole open further beneath his touch.

  
"Ah, Shard - "

  
Shard poked again, this time letting his finger slide inside. It entered without any trouble, eased by the slick fluid; indeed, it seemed like Leyhas' tight, hot inner walls were trying to suck him deeper inside. The pressure and heat made Shard moan out loud - and all the more eager to replace his finger with his cock.

  
"D-damn it, quit teasing," Leyhas groaned. Without seeming to realize it, he shoved his hips down upon Shard's finger in an attempt to draw it deeper.

  
A second finger joined in, then a third, as Shard eagerly explored inside, groping and pinching every inch he could reach. Strictly speaking this wasn't necessary - Leyhas was already more than slick enough to accept anything - but he was doing it more for his own enjoyment than to prepare his lover.

  
Not to say Leyhas wasn't enjoying it either, of course. He squirmed and writhed, rubbing himself madly against Shard's fingers. The next time he snapped his hips down, Shard's fingers slid in so deep they struck something soft and sensitive, driving forth a wild scream from Leyhas' throat. Some part of Shard was amazed his voice managed to go so high.

  
"You're so sensitive lately," Shard said in a rough whisper, bending down low over Leyhas' body. Like this, he could trace the shell of Leyhas' ear with his tongue, not to mention drive his fingers deeper into Leyhas' sweet spot. "I bet you could cum just from this."

  
"It's, it's because I'm pregnant, _ah_," Leyhas gasped. He dug his nails into Shard's shoulders, trying to haul himself closer. Their chests bumped and Shard got a mouthful of his silky hair.

  
Spitting it out, Shard teased, "Guess that's another thing to thank junior for, huh."

  
"That's _not_ his - and this - this - stop it already - "

  
"Stop what?" Shard breathed in Leyhas' ear as he curled his fingers inside. The noise Leyhas emitted sounded dangerously like a sob.

  
"You, you know, this teasing - _mn! _Please, _please_, I w-want - "

  
Oh, if only Shard could stay like this forever, watching his lover dissolve into an incoherent pleading puddle beneath his expert touch - but truthfully Shard himself didn't have that much patience. At this angle his cock was pressed against Leyhas' thigh, and each movement rubbed it hard upon Leyhas' sweaty skin, sending another bright spark of pleasure through Shard's entire body.

  
Shard had the presence of mind to capture Leyhas in a brief, clumsy kiss before sliding his fingers out. Leyhas whimpered, but Shard kissed him again before rising up and gripping his thighs and spreading them wide.

  
"Oh." Leyhas stiffened, his eyes bright and eager. "Y-yes."

  
Helped along by Shard's ministrations earlier, his hole now gaped wide open, dripping so much a small puddle had formed beneath his ass. For a moment Shard let himself admire the twitching, shivering hole, flooded a beautiful deep blue, and the equally wet slit above it, and the rock-hard cock already beading with precum, and his own cock gave such violent twitch he was amazed he didn't let it all out right then and there.

  
But he would soon if he didn't do anything about it. Sinking his fingers into Leyhas' smooth skin, he thrust his way forward.

  
The instant Leyhas' insides closed around him, tight and wet and so, so hot, all thought fled his mind. Now his body reacted solely from instinct, thrusting deep and hard in a mad, desperate bid to fill up every inch of his lover's body....

  
And Leyhas was thrusting too, shoving his hips down to meet Shard's dick, and they groaned aloud in concert when Shard slammed against Leyhas' already amazingly tender sweet spot. The ensuing jolt traveled through Shard's dick all the way to his brain, melting it into a puddle of hot mush. Leyhas' sob, and the way he clamped down tight as if trying to squeeze all the blood out of Shard's cock, only made him melt faster.

  
Mindless, Shard squeezed Leyhas' hips and turned him over. His cock twisted inside Leyhas, driving a tortured squeal from the Kwithinite, which rose into a ragged moan when Shard thrusted again. From this angle, aided by gravity, his cock stabbed even deeper and even faster. The impact when he hit Leyhas' gland made sparks dance in his vision.

  
"Oh, Shard, Shard," Leyhas was groaning, in between other sounds that might've been broken snatches of his native language. There was nothing Shard loved more than seeing Leyhas like this - his proud Kwithinite lover, buried face down in the bed as Shard fucked him senseless, his hair pooling around his head and his lean back heaving and shaking and drenched with sweat.

  
It was too much - Shard couldn't take it. Growling, he tugged Leyhas flush against his pelvis, and Leyhas shoved his hips back to swallow him all the way to the root. Buried deep inside Leyhas' tight, throbbing, deliciously slick warmth, Shard finally let himself let go.

  
His orgasm crashed through his body like an explosion, stealing all his breath, freezing his muscles in place. He could only kneel upright with a death grip on Leyhas' hips, emptying himself inside. Then Leyhas clamped down hard on him, driving the breath from his lungs, and a violent shudder raked his entire body before he let out a strangled cry and Shard felt more liquid splash onto the already thoroughly soaked bed.

  
Shard thrust an artless few more times to ride out his orgasm, splashing through his own semen. Already the organ was soft and the pleasure was fading, but he didn't care. He felt drained, but sated. The room smelled of Leyhas, his scent and sweat and fluids, and it wrapped around Shard like a comforting blanket.

  
So Shard gave into his exhaustion and let the strength bleed from his legs, collapsing atop Leyhas. The change in position drove his limp cock deeper inside, making Leyhas' passage twitch, but otherwise both of them were completely spent. Shard buried his face in Leyhas' sweat-soaked hair, listening to his rasping breaths, and some dim, content part of himself felt that he would be happy staying like this forever.

  
"Leyhas," he mumbled, and felt the Kwithinite stir a bit in response. "Thank you."

  
_For being here. For being you. For choosing me. For trusting me with your child. For...for...._

  
_ For saving my life, that first time, even though you had no reason to, even though we were enemies back then...._

  
_ You saw that I was injured, and your sense of honor wouldn't let you kill me like that, so you helped me...for the first time, the first time of dozens...._

  
If only he were one of the Empire's many telepathic races; then he wouldn't have to go through the effort of moving his jaw to speak the words. But somehow, he thought as he drifted away, he felt that they had reached Leyhas anyway. And that Leyhas felt the same.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and as always I'd love to hear what you think! I quite like these two, so I think I'll do more stories with them in the future.


End file.
